No more oil spill off Mumbai coast: Jairam Ramesh

NEW DELHI - The oil spill from the Panamanian ship that rammed into another vessel in Mumbai harbour has stopped, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told the Lok Sabha Tuesday.

“The oil spill from the ship has stopped and the situation is being monitored,” Ramesh said.

Panamanian cargo carrier MSC Chitra and a St. Kitts ship MV Khalijia-III Saturday morning collided outside the Mumbai harbour, barely five kilometres from south Mumbai.

Ramesh assured parliament that government agencies were making all efforts to tackle the environmental implications of the oil spill.

He said the vessel had 2,662 tonnes of heavy oil in its various tanks and 245 tonnes of diesel oil.

“There is oil spill around the vessel. The coast guard vessel and three tugs of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust are spraying dispersants under the directions of the coast guard. No oil spill has been observed in the harbour,” Ramesh said.

Due to the impact of the collision, three containers on MSC Chitra’s deck dropped into the sea. “It was reported that about 200 litres of hydraulic oil had leaked out,” Ramesh said.

“Attempts have been made to tow the containers that have fallen off from the vessel,” he said.

Ramesh said the containers still on the deck would have to be removed with the help of tugs and cranes and taken to Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

“The removal of the remaining containers in the holds and salvage of the vessel would be then attended to. The entire salvage is expected to take about 45 days,” he said.

He said the Indian Coast Guard is the central coordinating agency for marine pollution in the country.

“Let me assure the house that all agencies of the government are making all efforts to tackle the situation,” he said.